Film School Rejects » Neil Miller

Facebook Fans: Win a Copy of North by Northwest on DVD!

Neil Miller — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 14:00:15 +0000

Yesterday we gave everyone a chance to win a copy of Uwe Boll’s next movie, Far Cry, with a potentially hilarious caption contest. And while that movie might end up being one of the worst movies that we’ve ever given away, we follow it by giving our Facebook Fans a chance to win one of the greatest films of all-time, not to mention one of the best films we’ve ever given away here on the site.

Warner Bros. has hooked us up with three (3) copies of North by Northwest: The 50th Anniversary Edition on DVD to give to our faithful fans. For entry instructions, see below.

How to Enter

Follow these simple steps:

1. Head over to the Official Film School Rejects Facebook Page
2. Click “Become a Fan”
3. Done

Other restrictions, rules, etc:

1. You must be 18 years or older to enter.
2. You must be a resident of the United States or Canada.

Winners will be selected at random from our Facebook Fans on November 30, 2009.

Caption This: Win Uwe Boll’s Far Cry on DVD!

Neil Miller — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 20:04:39 +0000

Would you like to pay for another Uwe Boll video game adaptation on DVD? We didn’t think so. How about we give you the DVD for the low-low price of entertaining us with a photo caption? Yeah, that’s more like it. On November 24, Vivendi Entertainment will release Far Cry on DVD. And we’re giving you a chance to win a copy for free. All you have to do is think of a fun caption for the image above and write it into the comment section below.

There are other rules: (a) you must be 18 or older, (b) you must be a legal resident of the United States or Canada and (c) you must provide your email address in the comment form below (please don’t leave it in the actual comment, that’s not safe). Ten (10) winners will be selected on Monday, November 30, 2009 and contacted shortly thereafter. Good luck.

About Far Cry
Til Schwiger (Inglourious Basterds), Udo Kier (Grindhouse), and Emmanuelle Vaugier (Saw IV) star in the action-packed story of a reporter who investigates the deaths of mercenaries on an island off the coast of the Pacific Northwest. Upon docking, they are attacked and pursued by a squad of mercenaries employed by scientist, Dr. Krieger (Udo Kier). In their attempt to escape, they uncover Dr. Krieger’s secret lab and unleash the genetically engineered beasts that he’s created.

Carey Mulligan and Natalie Portman Talk Dreams in ‘Brothers’

Neil Miller — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:43:21 +0000

Lionsgate has provided us with a brand new clip from Jim Sheridan’s upcoming drama Brothers, a remake of a 2004 Danish film from director Susanne Bier. It tells the story of a young man who comforts his older brother’s wife and children after he goes missing in Afghanistan. The film has a major cast, including Tobey Maguire, Jake Gyllenhaal, Carey Mulligan and Natalie Portman, to name a few.

In this new clip, we see the wife of another soldier (Mulligan) talking to the older brother’s wife (Portman) about a dream that she had about the missing soldier. It gives us a good sense of tone for the flick, which is a risky endeavor, considering the lackluster performance of Middle Eastern conflict-related movies over the past few years.

Have a look at the clip for yourself below. Brothers begins its limited release on December 4, 2009.

We also have the Brothers trailer below, courtesy of Yahoo Movies, followed by the official synopsis.

When a decorated Marine goes missing overseas, his black-sheep younger brother cares for his wife and children at home—with consequences that will shake the foundation of the entire family. BROTHERS tells the powerful story of two siblings, thirtysomething Captain Sam Cahill (Tobey Maguire) and younger brother Tommy Cahill (Jake Gyllenhaal), who are polar opposites. A Marine about to embark on his fourth tour of duty, Sam is a steadfast family man married to his high school sweetheart, the aptly named Grace (Natalie Portman), with whom he has two young daughters (Bailee Madison, Taylor Grace Geare). Tommy, his charismatic younger brother, is a drifter just out of jail who’s always gotten by on wit and charm. He slides easily into his role as family provocateur on his first night out of prison, at Sam’s farewell dinner with their parents, Elsie (Mare Winningham) and Hank Cahill (Sam Shepard), a retired Marine.

I’m Not a Tour Guide: More Clips from ‘Up in the Air’

Neil Miller — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:13:43 +0000

Paramount Pictures has provided us with two new clips from their upcoming release Up in the Air, from Thank You for Smoking and Juno director Jason Reitman. As a programming note, this is probably the first of several great little pieces that we’ll be running about Up in the Air, which is currently in my top ten movies of the year. We still have my own glowing review to post, as well as Dr. Cole Abaius’ hilarious interview with Jason Reitman. Look for that later this week.

For now, we have these two new clips. The first clip, “I’m Not a Tour Guide,” features a conversation between jet-setting termination consultant Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) speaking with his boss (Jason Bateman) about taking a hotshot young peer out on the road to see how their business of firing people works. The second clip, entitled “Something Real,” features Bingham talking to his hotshot traveling partner Natalie (Anna Kendrick) about his relationship with Alex (Vera Farmiga). Have a look for yourself below, followed by the film’s official synopsis.

I’m Not a Tour Guide:

Something Real:

Ryan Bingham is a corporate downsizing expert whose cherished life on the road is threatened just as he is on the cusp of reaching ten million frequent flyer miles and just after he’s met the frequent-traveler woman of his dreams.

Avatar Through the Eyes of Stephen Lang

Neil Miller — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 18:46:28 +0000

One of our beloved readers, Marcus G., sent this over to me this morning and it is more than worth sharing — especially if you’re looking to cleanse your pallet from all of the Twilight: New Moon news this weekend. Even if that does mean more video footage from James Cameron’s Avatar. Somehow, I don’t think anyone is going to mind.

This brief, but also quite interesting featurette focuses on Colonel Quaritch, played by Stephen Lang. He’s the head of security for the corporation that is trying to invade Pandora and mine the precious mineral that the exists below the home of the Na’vi. He dispatches the members of the Avatar Program, played by Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver and Joel David Moore, to infiltrate the Na’vi in order to avoid using force. But based on the gigantic scars on this hardened soldier’s face, he’s also no stranger to using force. Have a look at the featurette below.

Avatar is in theaters on December 18, 2009.

New Moon Topples The Dark Knight’s Opening Day Record

Neil Miller — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 18:28:47 +0000

Despite my clear disdain for the latest entry in the Twilight series, as written in my review, I must admit that Summit Entertainment is doing something right. The marketing arm of Summit, that is. The production arm is having some trouble assembling a creative team that can deliver a movie that’s more than fan-service, but those marketers seem to be taking things to the next level.

Reports are coming in today that The Twilight Saga: New Moon not only broke the midnight opening record with $26.3 million at 3,514 theaters, but it has also passed The Dark Knight ($67.1m) and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen ($62m) for the all-time highest opening day record, earning an estimated $72.7 million on Friday (11/20). This is more than double the opening day take of the first Twilight film, which earned $35.9 million on the same November weekend in 2008.

Many pundits around the web are talking about the potential for New Moon to overtake The Dark Knight’s 3-day record of $158 million, but I’m not sure I would go that far so soon. We have to remember that the Twilight box office take was very front-loaded. The first film opened to $35 million, then doubled its take over the rest of the weekend to earn $69 million on opening weekend. In order for New Moon to earn over $158m, it would have to more than double it’s $71m opening day take. Don’t be surprised if it gets to $130-140 million range by the end of the weekend.

Michael Bay Still Loves Megan Fox

Neil Miller — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:46:22 +0000

Despite their on-again, off-again routine of media spats, Michael Bay still has a thing for actress Megan Fox. Which means that her Transformers character Mikaela Banes will be surviving on into the next film, Transformers 3.

While he was chillin’ at the Victoria’s Secret Show this week in New York, Bay was wrestled to the ground by USA Today reporter Andrea Mandell and forced to make a comment on Fox, who has been in the news lately due to some oddly acrobatic underwear photos she took for The New York Times (one of which can be seen above). On Fox, Bay said “I love her.” Then followed up with an explanation of her role in the next Transformers film. “She’s got a great part in Transformers 3” he promised. When asked if he would kill her off: “No, no, no. She gets enough of that already”.

When probed about the little scuffle that he and Fox had in the press recently, Bay was magnanimous:

She called me [after the Hitler comment] and goes, ‘It’s all bullshit, Mike.’ The press, they just like to prey, and stalk, and pounce and find a good little juicy thing. But she’s always wanted to do these crazy comments. That’s just her. She’s great.

As you can clearly see, all is well in the world of Michael Bay and Megan Fox. Which unfortunately means that if all this is true, we will not see her death in Transformers 3, something that I know a lot of you were looking toward with much anticipation. We will have a grief counselor on staff all day here at FSR to talk it out with you in the comment section below.

Photo above courtesy of Megan-Fox.net

Review: The Twilight Saga: New Moon

Neil Miller — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:48:12 +0000

I was always taught that if you’re going to do something, you might as well do it right. And in my mind, there isn’t a more apt application for such a life theory than in the adaptation of popular novels into films. When you think about these popular literary franchise — many of whom have rabid fan bases — it is hard to imagine making a movie (or in this case, two) out of them that are subpar. As we’ve seen with the Harry Potter franchise, the key is to take the story from the books and build upon it. Find good actors, dazzle the fan base with great special effects and make the film’s accessible enough so that folks outside the fan base will be drawn in, and ultimately drawn into the world of the books as well. It’s a reverse method of getting people to read more — make the movies interesting enough, and folks will go after the rest of the story.

Not so with the Twilight franchise, at least not up to this point. With the release of New Moon, the second in a line of four films to be released by Summit Entertainment, the Twilight franchise has succeeded in doing only one thing: appeasing its built-in fan base. Which is sad, because such a rabid fan base deserves something better — something that will reach out to the rest of the world and invite others to see what they see. Sadly, this is not that case — and while its easy to say that some people just won’t “get” this operatic tale of love seen through the eyes of a teen girl, I would rather blame lazy filmmaking.

New Moon picks up where the first Twilight film left off, with Bella (Kristen Stewart) and Edward (Robert Pattinson) locked in a heated, yet abstinent, love affair. But after a freak accident at Bella’s birthday party puts her life in danger, Edward leaves her in hopes of giving her a chance at a normal life — one that doesn’t involve brooding over a vampire. Left with emptiness in her heart, Bella weeps for Edward for several months, eventually emerging slightly from her depression to forge a new friendship with the constantly shirtless Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), a now-meaty friend who is going through a few odd changes himself. As Bella digs deeper into Jacob’s life, she soon finds out that he isn’t all that he seems either.

From there, we find out about the true nature of Jacob and his tribe and — spoiler alert — their sweet ancestry of being werewolves. At this point, director Chris Weitz sets in and delivers two of the few shining achievements of New Moon. One is the development of Jacob as a character, aided by a solid performance from Taylor Lautner. After a movie and a third of watching Bella with Edward, it is almost sweet to see her engaging with someone who might have some depth to them, even if he does turn into a giant wolf from time to time. As well, Weitz delivers a wolf-on-wolf action sequence during Bella’s discovery of the wolf pack that is quite awesome, and reminiscent of his crowning achievement in The Golden Compass, the epic polar bear fight scene. It was the only point in the film when New Moon was exciting, and not bogged down with slo-mo action or brooding, hollow shells of romantic archetypes.

The rest of the movie is about as moving and engaging as watching a 24-hour golf marathon on television, in French. Sure, there is something there if you’re really interested in it and you speak the language, but to anyone sitting on the outside it is just another surface-level romantic melodrama that is poorly paced. On top of that, the Twilight films (can’t speak for the books) give us two main characters who are increasingly difficult to like, let alone adore (let alone root for). Bella is a whiny, weak-willed character whose sole preoccupation is finding a man through which she can define herself, and Edward is a creepy 109-year old vampire who is trolling the high school halls for young girls.

On top of that, Robert Pattinson’s performance is excruciatingly stale. I get it, he’s playing a vampire who is supposed to be without emotion. But he’s also playing the exception to the rule, the vampire who falls madly in love with this beautiful human girl and will do anything and everything to keep her safe. There should be something beneath the surface, something added to Edward to make him feel like the exception — and in Pattinson’s incredibly hollow performance, we see none of that. The same can be said for Kristen Stewart, who delivers once again a performance that makes Bella feel like a caricature of an overly dramatic, perpetually confused teen. If she is to become an icon for young girls everywhere, then I weep for an entire generation.

Beyond character problems and failure to craft an engaging, purposefully paced narrative, New Moon mostly suffers from an insider baseball complex, in which the only folks who can truly engage in the story are those who have intimate previous knowledge of these characters, whether it’s from the first Twilight film or Stephenie Meyer’s series of books. This fact cripples the film’s ability to reach out beyond its core audience, leaving many an audience member confused, bewildered and downright bored.

But as someone who has seen both films and read enough of the books to know what it going on, I can tell you that the most disheartening thing about this film is that while its fan base will be satisfied with it — especially the hanging ending that feels tacked on — they really aren’t getting their fandom’s worth with these movies. There is a story within Stephenie Meyer’s books that could make for a good movie, and a method by which these movies could be accessible and engaging. It just seems as if Summit and their respective creative teams can’t find it. That said, thanks to the nature of the story (the added action of the werewolves and the rush to find Edward in Italy), director Chris Weitz has lucked out — and in turn he has found himself the director of a movie that, while not good in the least, is at least more engaging than Catherine Hardwicke’s first film. Should this trend continue, the infinitely more capable director David Slade may actually give us something worth watching with the next installment, Eclipse.

The Upside: It plays to the fans, and does have a few action scenes (mostly with the wolves) that are pretty fun to watch.

The Downside: Poorly structured, poorly paced, poorly executed CGI in places and characters that are unlikeable, despite the fact that we should be rooting for them. An inaccessible mess.

On the Side: Each member of the wolf pack had to have papers proving their Native decent. Spencer is Lakota (Sioux), Pelletier is Cree-Metis, Meraz is Purepecha (Tarasco), Gordon is Hualapai, and Houseman, who was discovered at an open casting call, is Cree.

The Orphanage Remake Caught in Limbo

Neil Miller — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:25:31 +0000

There has been talk about a remake of the hit Spanish horror film The Orphanage for some time. In August, director Larry Fessenden (Wendigo) was commissioned by producer Guillermo Del Toro to adapt the script and direct. But we’ve heard nothing since.

Today, according to an interview that Arrow in the Head conducted with Fassenden, it appears as if the remake is in a bit of trouble. According to the long-time actor/director, he’s off the project after having some trouble in the casting process:

THE ORPHANAGE was two years of waiting. Working on the script with Guillermo was a very exciting experience, but then I got into a casting miasma and that’s where the thing is; I think they’re gonna do it another way, actually. So I think I’m out of it. Hopefully they’ll still use my script, but I’m not sure I’m directing it anymore. That’s Hollywood for ya.

That is Hollywood, indeed. With his time currently sunk completely into work on The Hobbit with Peter Jackson, it is hard to say how much time Guillermo Del Toro will have to go out and find a new director for the remake, leaving the film in a state of limbo. The original film — which told the story of a woman whose son goes missing after making friends with a mysterious boy at an old orphanage — stands well on its own, and if this makes for the end of the effort to remake it for American audiences, I doubt that many fans would have a problem with that.

Underworld 4 Gets a Writer from The Shield

Neil Miller — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:12:16 +0000

Writer John Hlavin has been around the block. He’s written several episodes of The Shield, the incredibly popular FX show, and episodes of Trust Me, the recently canceled TNT drama. But none of that will compare with the watchful eyes that will be upon his next project, as he signs on to pen the fourth installment in the Underworld franchise for Screen Gems and Lakeshore Entertainment.

The fourth film — which still does not have a director attached — is “not a prequel,” says Hlavin, who according to Heat Vision is keeping the plot under wraps. “It will satisfy old fans and excite new audiences,” he added. “Meaning that we don’t want to redo the first three movies, so steps are being taken to honor what fans have loved but at the same time introduce fresh elements.”

Original Underworld star Kate Beckinsale did not return for the third film, which starred Rhona Mitra and Michael Sheen, and there’s no reason for us to expect her back for the fourth. No word yet on the involvement of her husband Len Wiseman, who served as director on the first two and producer on the third, but it is also likely that he will not have much of an active role, as he’s currently busy with about 20 other projects. As well, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans director has two films currently in development, I, Frankenstein and Nonstop, so it is difficult to speculate whether or not he would return for another round.

As always, we will keep you updated as the story develops.

Uma Thurman, Kristin Scott Thomas Get Hot for Robert Pattinson

Neil Miller — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:59:10 +0000

Uma Thurman has the Edward Cullen bug, just like every other gal in America. On the dawn of New Moon, the latest release in the Twilight franchise, comes the news that Thurman has joined the production of Bel Ami, based on a short story by Guy de Maupassant.

According to THR, Thurman has signed on to star opposite Robert Pattinson, who will play George Duroy, a young journalist who rose from poverty to become one of the most successful men in Paris via the ruthless and calculating bedding of the city’s most glamorous and influential women. Thurman will play the wife of Duroy’s friend, a woman who is extremely involved and connected in the happenings of Parisian society. She helps Duroy during his journey and eventually becomes his wife.

Kristin Scott Thomas has also joined the cast, and will play a socialite who also falls for Duroy, becoming clingy in the process.

London theater director Declan Donnellan will be making his feature debut with the pic, which shoots in Paris early next year.

Jason Lee Turns Director, Finds The Beatles

Neil Miller — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:48:54 +0000

It appears as if Brodie from Mallrats is all grown up. Jason Lee is taking on a new TV show to follow the end of the run for My Name is Earl on TNT, a pilot called Delta Blues that will be executive produced by George Clooney. As well, Lee is stepping into the director’s chair to direct the indie film Get Back, according to THR.

Get Back is a time travelling adventure about two music obsessives transported to the 1960s, where one of them gets into a love triangle with John Lennon and Yoko Ono. It’s a premise that lends itself to the laid-back sentiments of Lee, as well as a potentially great soundtrack (although it should be noted that getting the rights to the anthology of The Beatles is no easy task).

It’s nice to see Lee branching out and getting behind the camera, as he’s long been a popular persona in front of it. I’m interested to see how he does, as we’ve seen some very good actor-to-director conversions as of late, including Office star John Krasinski’s debut Brief Interviews with Hideous Men. As well, you can never really go wrong with a movie about The Beatles, can you?

Brett Ratner to Finally Go Fly ‘Kites’

Neil Miller — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:35:58 +0000

We’ve been suggesting for years that Brett Ratner get over himself and go fly a kite. Which as you may know is an expression for getting lost, taking a long walk off a short pier, or just generally ceasing to exist. Well, now Ratner is going to fly a kite, its just not the right kind.

According to THR, the Rush Hour director has been tasked with re-editing an English-language version of Kites, from Indian director Anurag Basu. The film is set to be released internationally by Reliance BIG Pictures, who wants to have one version in Hindi to play in India and one version in English to play elsewhere. The film stars Hrithick Roshan and Barbara Mori and tells the story of a mortally wounded man who is left for dead in the heat of the desert sun. This is J. Once a street smart, carefree young guy. Now, a wanted man. As death looms, the only thing that keeps him alive is the quest to find the love of his life, Natasha. A woman betrothed to another man, but surely destined for J. A woman who comes into his life like a bolt of lightning and changes it forever.

The film was shot in Las Vegas, Mumbai, New Mexico and Los Angeles.

Steven Spielberg and Stephen King Go ‘Under the Dome’

Neil Miller — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:08:16 +0000

Steven Spielberg and Stephen King are getting together to make a supernatural thriller. Sold yet?

According to Variety, Dreamworks TV is developing a limited series based on the recently released King novel Under the Dome, a supernatural thriller that unfolds after an invisible force field is suddenly descends on a small vacation town in Maine. The locals take to fighting for their survival, but end up in a sort of Lord of the Flies situation that involves plenty of in-fighting.

Dreamworks is currently out looking for writers, which they will hire before they look to sell it to a network. And from where I’m sitting, it sounds like the kind of thing that could work for a cable network such as HBO or Showtime, but I wouldn’t rule out a primetime friendly version made for a major network like ABC.

Here’s a full description of the book’s synopsis:

On an entirely normal, beautiful fall day in Chester’s Mill, Maine, the town is inexplicably and suddenly sealed off from the rest of the world by an invisible force field. Planes crash into it and fall from the sky in flaming wreckage, a gardener’s hand is severed as “the dome” comes down on it, people running errands in the neighboring town are divided from their families, and cars explode on impact. No one can fathom what this barrier is, where it came from, and when — or if — it will go away. Dale Barbara, Iraq vet and now a short-order cook, finds himself teamed with a few intrepid citizens — town newspaper owner Julia Shumway, a physician’s assistant at the hospital, a select-woman, and three brave kids. Against them stands Big Jim Rennie, a politician who will stop at nothing — even murder — to hold the reins of power, and his son, who is keeping a horrible secret in a dark pantry. But their main adversary is the Dome itself. Because time isn’t just short. It’s running out.

The book itself has been getting high praise from all over. Author Neil Gaiman called it one of his “favourite books of the year,” while Publisher’s Weekly called it “formidably complex and irresistibly compelling.” Like any work of Stephen King though, there will be trepidation in the hearts of fans as an adaptation is developed — quite often King’s work doesn’t translate as well to screen, for various reasons. Of course, King has never been adapted by Spielberg and crew. Spielberg did hold the rights to The Talisman for over 20-years, but was never able to make anything of it. Lets hope things go better this time around.

You can pick up a copy of Under the Dome, which was released on November 10th, over at Amazon. Also, check out this promotional video for the book below.

Mike White Starts the ‘Santa Wars’

Neil Miller — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:54:20 +0000

Paramount Pictures has picked up a script from writer/director Mike White called Santa Wars, a comedy based on the true story of rival factions that developed within a union of professional Santa Clauses who become arch enemies during a Santa Claus civil war, according to Variety.

Stop. Hold the presses for a moment. You mean to tell me that this really happened? There was really a Santa Claus civil war between mall Santas? I can’t believe that I wasn’t told until just now. I need to pay more attention to the news. Here’s a description of the original story from Chicago Public Radio, which we found via /Film:

A tale of two Santas. There’s Tim Conaghan, a full-time professional Santa with a big belly and a real flowing white beard. And there’s Santa Nick—he too has a belly and real white beard. But the story of Santa Tim and Santa Nick is not like most uplifting Christmas parables. Instead, it’s about two men, very much alike, who came to lead rival factions in a bitter Santa civil war, and came themselves to be arch enemies. Josh Bearman reports on the political schism that’s overtaken the Amalgamated Order of Real Bearded Santas.

Also via our friends at /Film, is the 27-minute long segment of This American Life which talks about this wild news story. Just fast forward to the 22:30 mark.

Sounds hilarious, if you ask me.

Film School Rejects » Neil Miller

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